Something Better
by justyoureverydaygirl
Summary: Rachel did not expect Shelby to come back. She definitely did not expect her to leave Beth in her custody.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N- I usually hate these, but I just want to clarify some things. I know that the way Shelby presents this is not how it works, but for the purposes of this story, it will be legally binding.**

**A/N from later-****Okay! Just another clarification (I've been asked for one). I keep getting asked what ship this is. Honestly, I don't know yet. When I wrote this chapter, it was supposed to be fairly Puckleberry, but it got pretty Quick closer to the end. I am not in control of where my writing goes most of the time; what I write comes strait out of my mind and onto the paper. I don't edit it. I don't change it once I've finished. I write it and immediately upload it. So to answer the questions I've been asked, I'll say this: This fic will not be Faberry. I'm sorry to any Faberry shippers that I may have 'led on', but it will not be Faberry. I'm thinking either Quick or Puckleberry, and backups for each of these include (but are not limited to) Sam/Quinn, Quinn/Finn, Quinn/OC, Rachel/Mike, Rachel/Jesse, or Rachel/OC. They might not even end up with somebody in this fic. I don't feel that romantic relationships are necessary for a good story. Let me know what you want in the comments, but just know that I get final say. I'm going to let the fic go where chemistry and my mood takes it.**

* * *

"Rachel Berry, please come to the principles office." Principle Figgin's tinny voice rang out through the intercom.

Rachel flushed, gathering her things and heading for the door, ignoring the sudden hushed whispers and muted laughs of her classmates. Mr. Schuester stopped her at the door.

"Do you have any idea what this is about?"

She shook her head, and he nodded, as if he expected her to say that. It wasn't a common occurrence for a student to be called to the office, and when they did they were usually in some sort of trouble. Rachel, however, was not one for trouble. Some people may find her irritating and grating, but she never did any real harm to anybody.

Walking down the halls, she kept her head down, flinching when she passed a jock holding a slushee, and made it to the glass room safely.

There was a person sitting in a chair across from Figgins, with long, dark brown hair and stylish clothes. She looked like she was holding something, but Rachel couldn't tell what.

She knocked on the door, and let herself in.

"Thank you for coming, Ms. Berry." Figgins droned, gesturing towards a seat across next to the other guest.

Rachel wasn't paying attention. The woman had turned around, smiling sadly at the teenager, and holding a sweet-looking baby in her lap.

Her mom was back.

Shelby.

And she had brought Beth with her.

* * *

Rachel forgot how to breathe for a moment, leaning on the doorframe for support. Sure, they had left on good terms, but there was no way she wanted to see her mom with her replacement. Shelby's second chance baby.

"What are you doing here." Rachel didn't wait for an answer, walking to the chair and plopping down into it, ignoring her personal rules of etiquette.

Shelby smiled, and Rachel saw that her eyes were watery.

"I have amazing news!" She was ecstatic. "I got accepted for a role on Broadway!"

Rachel shrugged. Why should she care? Moreover, why exactly did Shelby need to come in and bother her to let her know?

"There's just one problem." Shelby said, obviously leading into the story. "The director has some pretty strict rules. No outside commitments."

Rachel was confused. There was a pretty big commitment currently sleeping in Shelby's arms at that moment.

"So, after a lot of thinking, I've decided to give up Beth for adoption. I've found that it's too much for me to handle; caring for a baby and working for my dreams."

Her eyes widened and she gritted her teeth.

"No!" Rachel was adamant. "You can't just abandon her because something better came along!"

Shelby had the nerve to look offended by Rachel's statement. "I'm not abandoning her." She insisted. "I'm going to find her a good home. That is, if you don't accept."

"If I don't accept what?"

"I have decided to give you custody of Beth. My lawyer thinks that it's a good idea, and-"

Rachel cut her off.

"I'm sixteen! I can't raise a baby! What are you even talking about? I can't adopt her! I'm a minor, I'm not even in charge of myself!"

"Actually, you can adopt her. If the parent of the child chooses to opt out of continued parenting, then the closest relative would take custody. My parents and grandparents are dead. I have no siblings. You're my closest relative."

Rachel ran out of words. Nothing was going through her head, except anger and concern for the baby.

"What will happen to Beth if I say no?" Rachel's voice was almost hollow, lacking it's usual spark.

"She'll go into foster care."

Rachel took a few deep breaths, and held out her arms. Shelby carefully passed over the infant, minding her head, and Rachel pulled her close, helping Beth nestle into her arms.

"Do you have the papers?" Rachel asked in a hushed, yet still angry tone. "I assume I'll have to sign a few things."

"I have them right here." Shelby took some folded papers out of her jacket pocket, and passed them to Rachel. "You need to sign in three places. One terminates my rights, another grants you custody, and the last promises that neither you, or Beth will try to contact me, nor I you."

Rachel nodded. She had expected something like that. Signing the documents, she passed them to the oddly silent man who sat on the other side of the desk.

"I need copies of these." She stood up strait, taking care not to jostle the baby, and glared at Shelby. "You need to leave."

"I'll get the documents from Principle Figgins after he gets you your copies, then I'll be out of your life forever." Shelby handed her a soft green diaper bag.

Rachel took it and walked out of the room, heading towards her safe haven. The choir room. On the way, she realized that she needed to talk to a couple of people. Puck and Quinn. They deserved to know what was going on.

She slid to a stop, and started in the opposite direction. Rachel had made it her duty to know the class schedules of all of the Glee kids, and, lucky for her, the two people that she needed to see where in the same class.

Rachel talked a very confused freshman into getting Puck and Quinn out of the classroom as she waited in the hall.

They walked out, obviously very confused, and stared at her and the bundle in her arms. She shifted uncomfortably under their gaze.

"Is that…" Quinn started, before getting choked up.

"Beth?" Puck finished for her.

"Yes." Rachel held the baby close, but tilted her so that the others could see her face. "Would you mind very much skipping class and going to the choir room to talk? There's a lot I need to tell you."


	2. Chapter 2

They group hurried through the halls, reaching the choir room just before the bell rang to dismiss students from first period. To fool teachers, they kept the lights off until the next bell rang.

"Why do you have Beth?" Quinn asked her, watching the baby reverently.

Rachel sighed, and sat down, Puck and Quinn folling her lead and sitting across from her, so that they formed a triangle.

"Shelby showed up at the school not long ago. That's why I was called to the principle's office. She told me that she got a role in a Broadway production, and wasn't allowed any outside commitments. Including Beth." She opened her mouth to talk more, but Puck interupted her.

"That Bitch!" He growled. "We trusted her with our baby! She's only had Beth for six months!"

"Puck!" Quinn admonished him. "I agree wholeheartedly, but, even though she's asleep, Beth can hear you."

Puck paled at this, and sat back down. It sounded like he was moderating his breathing, so that he wasn't too loud. Rachel smiled at him supportively.

"As I was saying, she wasn't allowed to have any outside commitments, so she decided to give Beth up for adoption." Rachel paused, not sure how to break the news to them. "I told her that she couldn't do that, and she said that she didn't have to. But, there was one condition." She took a deep breath, steeling herself against whatever they might say. "She passed custody of Beth to her only living relative." Puck and Quinn looked extremely confused, so Rachel elaborated. "Me."

She immediately felt guilty, when Quinn teared up and Puck sucked in and held a breath.

"I couldn't think of anything else to do, and I didn't want Beth to go into foster care. I'm sorry if this means we can't be friends, but you will be able to see Beth whenever you want to. My dads won't be happy about it, but I'm held legally responsible. You can even come over-"

Quinn stopped her, a few tears dripping out of her eyes.

"Thank you so much Rachel." Her voice was shaky, but she was smiling. Rachel glanced over at Puck; he was smiling too, his own eyes a little watery. "I would have never expected you to do this, and…" She seemed to struggle with what to say next. "…thank you."

Puck was nodding along with her stuttered thank you's.

Rachel was shocked. She had been almost certain that they would be angry at her, accusatory even. This was unexpected, and she wasn't quite sure how she was supposed to react.

Beth saved her from having too. A small cry came from the bundle in her arms, and she looked down to see her eyes open. It was astonishing really; Beth had Quinn's exact eyes.

They were all startled by the noise, and Rachel started to act. She slid the baby out of the blankets, and held her in the crook of her arm, the soft pink onesie tickling her.

Another cry escaped her lips, this one louder, and demanding. Beth's face scrunched up angrily as she yowled.

Rachel turned her over, slighly amused at her friend's states of shock, and checked her diaper.

Definitely due for a change.

Cooing softly, Rachel laid her down on the blanket she had discarded, keeping a hand on the baby's belly and reaching for the diaper bag, pulling a diaper and some wipes out of the side.

Quickly and efficently, she changed the dirty diaper, wrapping it and tossing it into the trash can. Rachel picked Beth back up and settled her on her hip, standing and swaying slightly.

Quinn gazed adoringly at her daughter.

"Please, Be-Rachel." She stretched out her arms nervously. "Can I hold her?"

Why would she even ask? Beth was her daughter; she may be in Rachel's custody, but there was no way she would ever say no to Quinn concerning her baby.

"Of course you can." She swung the baby off her hip and into Quinn's waiting arms, smiling when Quinn laughed a few times, tears still running down her cheeks.

"Hi baby." She rocked her, and Beth settled into her shoulder. "I'm your mommy. It's been a while, but it's never going to be that long again. I promise."

She looked over to Rachel. "That girl, over there? That's Rachel. I'm really not sure what she is to you yet, but we love her."

Puck walked over to Quinn and wrapped his arms around the two girls, a tear escaping his own eye.

Rachel shifted uncomfortably. She felt like she was intruding on a very personal moment, and she totally was. Quickly, she whipped out her phone and took a picture of the three of them. Puck, with his eyes closed, his chin resting on Quinn's head, and his arms encasing them. Quinn, her face marred by tears, clutching her daughter close and vowing to never let go again. Finally, Beth, who's tiny hand was resting on Quinn's cheek as she looked quizically at her daddy.

"Um…" Rachel broke the silence. "If it's okay with you guys, I could be another mom to Beth. I love her too, and while I admit I was a little jealous, that went away as soon as I heard what Shelby had to say. But if you guys are uncomfortable with that, I'll just be Aunt Rachel or something."

Quinn shooke her head, and Puck smiled at her. They shared a look, and Puck spoke.

"We want you to be Beth's mom. Well, one of Beth's moms. We could even be a family." He snorted. "A really messed up, teenage family who have all had to clean slushee out of our eyes, but a family."


	3. Chapter 3

Between the three of them, they had come to a sort of agreement. Quinn and Puck would not file for custody, so long as Rachel included them in all of Beth's life. They sat in the choir room for the rest of the day, getting to know Beth and getting to know each other better.

There wasn't any Glee practice that night, so they borrowed a teacher's old carseat and loaded Beth into Quinn's car, Puck following them to Rachel's house to break the news of her sudden motherhood as a group.

* * *

It wasn't their best moment, as fathers, when they screamed at Rachel for not consulting them. It wasn't her best moment when she screamed back.

It had been terrible. They had given her the rest of the day to pack her things and leave, taking Quinn, Puck, and the baby with her forever. She couldn't complain, it was more than what Quinn had, but it wasn't enough.

They had helped her pack her more expensive clothes into bags that Puck brought from under his truck seats, resolving to just buy whatever else she needed. Both Puck and Quinn had offered up their homes, and Rachel decided to go live with Quinn until she could find something of her own.

Puck's offer had been good, but he had a mom and a sister to think about, and it was a three bedroom house.

Quinn lived with her mom, and had a guest bedroom next door to her own, and her mom had said that it was fine with her if she gained another couple of mouths to feed. She hadn't finalized her divorce yet, and was all too happy to spend all of her soon-to-be-ex husband's money.

Rachel cried as she finally left her childhood home, her dad's watching through the windows to make sure she was gone before going back inside.

Once they got to Quinn's house, she unloaded her things and brought them up to Quinn's room. They would be sharing, and making the spare bedroom into a nursery. Quinn had a full-sized bunkbed, left over from when she was a kid, and Rachel was soon set up on the bottom bunk.

They dragged all of Quinn't baby stuff out of storage and cleaned it before setting it up. Beth was asleep again, so they simply put her in the crib and dimmed the light, leaving the doors open and sitting on the top bunk of Quinn's bed.

Rachel couldn't cry anymore. She was leaning against Puck, his arm wrapped around her, Quinn's hand on her knee. It was more than a little awkward; none of them had been friends before, but they were adapting.

"Thanks for letting me stay with you Quinn," She said gratefully, sitting up and moving to the ladder down. "but I've had a really long day and I just want to sleep for a while. Do you think you could take first watch for Beth?"

"Yeah. Rachel, I'm-"

"It's not your fault. Thanks for lending me some pajamas. Out of all the things I could forget, right?" She smiled tightly, and disappeared down the ladder, throwing the sheets on her bed out and snuggling deep into them, pulling them up to her chin and closing her eyes.

She was instantly asleep.

* * *

"I can't believe that she did this." Quinn whispered to Puck, laying down on top of the sheets and looking over to him as he did the same.

"I know." He was weirdly quiet; he had been acting strange since they found out about Beth. Shock, probably. "She just gave up so much for us and our kid. Why?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. She obviously didn't have to. I think that's just who she is."

"She's something."

Quinn started to feel uncomfortable. She changed the subject.

"Beth looks like you. She's got you hair, and your ears."

"Your eyes. She's so beautiful. Her hair even curls at the ends, just like yours does when you let it."

He reached a hand over and brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear, letting his fingers curl around her chin as he pulled away.

"Beautiful."

Quinn smiled. "You're still talking about Beth?"

Puck lay down next to hear, their arms pressed together and their faces mere inches apart.

"What do you think?" He didn't answer, and she flushed.

She didn't answer, choosing instead to just watch his eyes. It was amazing; they were moving rapidly across her face, from her chin to her ears to anywhere else. They were a clear shade of hazel; green right now, but she knew that there would be blue if he got really intense or passionate about something.

"Quinn…" He began, then trailed off, reaching the same hand back to her face and slowly running his thumb along her cheekbone.

"Puck…" She whispered back. "We could be a family. Just like you said all those months ago when I was pregnant."

His eyes were slowly drifting to blue, and they widened with hope and something that Quinn couldn't identify.

Then a small, hopeless sob emitted from the bunk underneath them, and the moment was shattered, both of them just remembering exactly what their friend had to give up so that they could have a second chance at their little family.

Quinn smiled sadly at Puck before turning over to lay on her side, facing the wall; away from him. He did the same behind her, reaching over her to hit the light switch on the wall, and lay back down facing outward.

Quinn didn't like to wish for things. It made it seem less likely for them to happen. But she let herself hope this one time. This time, they would be a family like the one she had dreamed about when she was a little girl.


	4. Chapter 4

Through the night, Rachel had gotten up to care for Beth twice, and had heard either Puck or Quinn do it three times. When she woke up, she was exhauseted. Checking on Beth quickly, she headed down the stairs and into the kitchen. Rachel started a pot of coffee and put some pop-tarts in the toaster.

"Morning." Puck stumbled in, grabbing the pot of coffee and pouring himself a generous helping. He had obviously been in the house before; he knew where the mugs and plates were on the first try. Quickly, he poured two more cups of coffee, and Quinn walked in, with a dramatic bedhead and sleepy eyes.

"Thanks." Rachel took her cup and drank, wincing but not stopping when the coffee burned her lips.

Quinn took hers too and set it down on the counted to cool.

"She's amazing." Puck said, staring at the ground. "I went to feed her last night, and she cooed at me. It was so sweet."

Rachel knew that he wouldn't be saying that if he was fully awake; it would go against his image.

Quinn agreed with him quickly, and Rachel nodded. "She's just so perfect."

"Quinn, do you have morning practice for Cheerios?" Rachel asked, remembering the other girl mentioning it in passing a couple of times.

"Yeah, I do. I don't want to leave her though."

"Don't worry. Rach and I will take care of her." Puck said. Then his eyes widened, as if he thought of something. "We don't have a babysitter or daycare where we could leave her."

"Should one of us skip?" Rachel proposed, then quickly shot down her own idea. "We can't skip. That would be a terrible influence."

"We could bring her, and shuffle her around during class. I have a free period after lunch." Quinn suggested.

"No, that wouldn't make any sense. Figgins would never let us bring our baby to school."

"I'll watch her." A new voice entered the mix as Quinn's mom walked in. "I work afternoons and nights, so I could keep her until about 3."

Rachel was nodding, thinking fast. "Do you think you could drive her to the school then, and we'll just keep her with us for Glee practice?"

"That should work." Rachel agreed, and sensed something, setting her coffee down and rushing upstairs to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. She kneeled in front of the toilet and heaved, the coffee evacuating her body.

Rachel was suddenly glad that she hadn't eaten her pop-tarts yet.

Cool hands brushed hair back from her neck and held it in a bun briefly before securing it with a hair tie.

"Do you need anything? Saltenes helped me when I had morning sickness." Quinn's voice was quiet, for which Rachel was grateful. She was done throwing up, but the result was a pounding headache.

"Do you have any Sprite?"

"Yeah. I'll go get it." Quinn hurried off, and Rachel took the time to clean herself up.

She adjusted the bun so that it looked more done, and washed her face and hands. Rachel used the toothbrush that she had been given the night before and scrubbed the horrible taste out of her mouth.

Quinn returned, with a cold bottle of Sprite in one hand and some of Rachel's clothes in the other. She handed them to her, and sat on the rim of the bathtub.

"Are you okay?" Quinn asked hesitantly.

Rachel nodded. "I feel a lot better. It's weird though; I'm almost never sick. I don't remember the last time I threw up."

Quinn's eybrows furrowed. "That's weird." She was obviously thinking something else, and Rachel was confused.

"What are you thinking?"

"Umm…" Quinn trailed off. "Rachel, I don't mean to be rude but… Could you possibly be pregnant?"

Rachel's eyes widened as she considered the possibility. "It's possible."

"Do you need a test?"

"I'm late." Rachel was close to tears as she started breathing sharply. "Oh my God. I'm late and I have morning sickness." She turned panicked eyes to Quinn. "This can't be happening!"

"Relax!" Quinn rushed over and hugged her. "I'll make Puckerman go to the store today, and you can take the test during lunch. We'll tell him to buy three, just so that you know for sure."

Rachel nodded, and wiped her eyes.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but who's the father?" Quinn asked, not trying to do any harm, but curious all the same.

"I don't know." Rachel buried her face in her hands. "I don't know the last time I had my period, so it's either Sam or…" She took in a shaky breath.

"Or who?"

Rachel couldn't even look at Quinn when she delivered the news. "Or Noah."


	5. Author's Note

Hi! So this is a 'chapter completely dedicated to the reviews that I've been getting. A lot of them are Guests, so I'm going to copy and paste them underneath here, then respond.

* * *

Guest - Not Quick!  
**Me - Okay, I really don't know what I could say here. I have a plan about the ships that will be mentioned at the bottom of this annoying chapter!**

MsAmyRobertson - Please make this Puckleberry please and have Quinn with Sam!  
**Me - Once again, I'll place a message about the ships at the bottom of this!**

Guest - I really hope that Noah is the father of Rachel's baby if she is pregnant. I think the babies would be wonderful as siblings and have a great time growing up together. I would love to see Puckleberry get together in this fic and I'd like to see Quinn with someone other than Noah (possibly Sam or someone else). Please update soon! Thanks!  
**Me - I think that the dynamic of Quick Puckleberry siblings is fascinating; seeing how they (Quinn, Rachel, and Puck) interact with each of the kids would be a dream come true for me. I try to update whenever I make a new chapter; I'll never have one and sit on it unless I'm unsure about it, so I usually write every other day unless I get an overwhelming response.**

Guest (Chloe) - Please keep this as Quinn and Puck  
**Me - I really have a plan. (You seem to be a minority Quick shipper. I applaud that. I'm kind of both)**

Guest - Please no Quick or Samchel! Please have this be a Puckleberry story! I love Pucklebabies (i'd love for Rachel's baby to be biologically Puck's as well)- I am interested in what it will be like for Rachel and Puck to be the parents of 2 babies and how that will affect their connections with Quinn and even Quinn's mom. Hopefully, Quinn can be Aunt Quinn to Rachel's baby and help out with the baby, but not be a second mom to it. I also would love to see Rachel to stay as one of Beth's moms and her legal guardian even though all three plus Quinn's mom are helping to raise her.  
I think that it is wonderful that Rachel is sharing Beth with Quinn and Puck, but I'll be honest- I didn't like Quinn at the end of chapter 3 acting like it should be her, Puck and Beth as a family only. I thought that was selfish and rude of her and frankly, I am not very fond of this Quinn right now. Sorry, but Quinn gave Beth away - she's lucky to have Beth be in her life at all. She's getting a second chance because of Rachel and she should welcome Rachel being a real part of things. The "Quick" family was never really a family anyway and they are a thing of the past.  
I also have to say that I wish that you would have had Rachel only sleep with Noah rather than Sam, too. It is kind of mean and stressful to Rachel to put her in that position. It's not good that she doesn't know who the father of her baby is yet-I'd be truly embarrassed if I were her and I will be interested in other people's reactions when they find out about the pregnancy and that she slept with both Noah and Sam. I hope that she finds out it is Noah's soon. I take it Rachel had been dating or is dating Sam? Hopefully, that relationship goes bye-bye soon if it hasn't already.  
I do enjoy this story tremendously and can't wait for more. I think that you write really well even if I don't personally agree with or understand the entire behavior of the characters. I find this very entertaining and I want to thank you for that.  
**Me - Okay. If Rachel is pregnant, then Quinn would act as a second mom to the baby. They would both be teenage mothers to a baby and they would treat the other's child as their own. Rachel would be Mom and Quinn would be Mommy. Quinn's mom is not going to be a central character in this story; quite frankly, I don't like her in the show, but I'm trying to be logical. Rachel will stay as Beth's legal guardian at this time, but that may change over the course of the fic. The reason that she wants to stay legally responsible is so that they don't get people's eyes on them, and they can just fly under the radar until Quinn, Puck, and Rachel are at least 18. At the end of chapter three, I meant for it to be shown that Quinn wanted that family too, just as much as Puck, but she gave it up so that Beth could have a better chance. I didn't mean for it to be interpreted as her being hateful, rude, or selfish. All that meant was that caring for Beth, and getting another chance was a dream come true and that she was extremely happy about it. All three of them are awkward around each other right now; Puck and Rachel dated for a month, Quinn and Puck had a one-night stand, and Quinn and Rachel have never gotten along. They're not going to be instantly friends, but they're trying. **  
**I have a plan for the Noah and Sam thing. She's honestly humiliated; I'm not going to say who, but one or both of those boys were a mistake. I will elaborate on the Sam/Rachel relationship in the next chapter.**  
**Thank you so much for the complement and the sticking with the story. I'm a new fanfic writer and I'm still working on getting into the characters as I write them, so I know that they're a little OOC.**

Guest - I know you arent having quinn or puck get any legal gaurdianship of Beth but you should reconcider having on of them share custody with rachel since a) she is living with quinn 2) should something happen to beth no school or hospital would recognize them as beth's parents 3) explaining to beth later in life that her biological parents who have helped raise her along with rachel would be difficult and emotionally damaging.  
**Me - That is a really good idea, and I'm kind of embarrassed that I didn't think about that. However, I mentioned in the last review that they're not going to file for joint custody or anything like that because they don't want the public eye on them. They, as teenagers, are scared that if they go to a judge, Beth will be taken away, and none of them trust adoptive parents anymore. Shelby ruined that for them. Also, all three of them want Beth, and Rachel lives with Quinn, so custody is not much of an issue. Puck might have some problems, but they're minor. I personally don't think that it would be damaging to Beth to know that her biological parents raised her along with Rachel, mostly because I don't think that they'd ever lie to her about it. If she asked if Rachel was her mom, they would say no. I know that I grew up with two parents, and I would have wondered about it if I had another, but I don't think that I would have been damaged. It's almost the opposite of a parent leaving. She would never ask herself why her parents didn't want her; they did, and an extra parent did too. Custody of Beth will probably change hands to Quinn and Puck quietly as they grow up, if only to make sure that Beth understands everything. You're right in the respect of schools and hospitals not recognizing them, but if Rachel signed something that means they could make medical and scholarly decisions for her, I don't think that it would be much of an issue.**

Guest - I don't think that Rachel should be feeling guilty about sleeping with Noah with regards to Quinn. Quinn and Puck aren't together now and they haven't been for awhile. I hope that this instead tips Quinn off that Rachel and Noah have some feelings for each other and instead of Rachel being on the outside that maybe Quinn can experience what it feels like to be on the outside of Noah and Rachel's connection to each other for a change. I also hope you write a flashback to when Noah and Rachel had sex. Please don't write about when Sam and Rachel had sex, though. I really don't want to read that. Thanks!  
**Me - I agree with you; she shouldn't feel guilty. Quinn has no claim on Puck. However, I think that Rachel will feel guilty. Especially if this fic goes in a Quick direction, (Not saying that it will) she would feel as though she delayed Quinn and Puck's happiness, but she would get over that eventually. Just going to point out that they might have had meaningless sex. Quinn and Puck did. I'm sorry, I don't do smut, but I will have flashbacks to whoever the father-if she's pregnant- turns out to be.**

GRITSgirl - I'm not trying to to flame or say your story is bad because I enjoy reading it but I would like to say that while it is plausible and can happen for someone to not know who their babies father is its irresponsible and seems out of character for Rachel. I also didn't understand Quinn acting like it should be only her, Puck, and Beth as a family at the end of chapter 3. If Shelby hadn't turned over custody of Beth to Rachel and Rachel hadn't allowed both Puck and Quinn to be part of Beth's life they wouldn't be able to even really see her so the family should include as well. It was the for the best that Quinn gave up Beth but pretending that just because they get to be part of her life because Rachel was generous and caring like that is kind of mean and seems more along the lines of self obsessed HBIC season 1 Quinn not the Quinn who selflessly gave Beth a better life and became friends with Mercedes and the glee club.  
Anyway I hope that at Puck is Rachel's babies dad and that puck leery happens. I also hope that he'll adopt Beth because he needs some parental rights and since Rachel is already Beth's mom it stands to reason that Beth needs a dad as well plus in the show he never really got the chance to be a dad to Beth and I hope to see that rectified in your story. Also I would like for Quinn to date someone else, preferably Sam, because she deserves to be happy as well and she can still be Beth's biological mom and help out Rachel and Noah and be Aunt Quinn to puckleberry's baby.  
**Me - I know you're not trying to flame, and thank you! I know that it seems irresponsible and OOC, but I have reasoning behind it. Stay tuned for the bottom of the page, and next chapter. I said something about this earlier in this weird addressing comments chapter, but that isn't what was meant behind the end of chapter three. Let me copy and paste. At the end of chapter three, I meant for it to be shown that Quinn wanted that family too, just as much as Puck, but she gave it up so that Beth could have a better chance. I didn't mean for it to be interpreted as her being hateful, rude, or selfish. All that meant was that caring for Beth, and getting another chance was a dream come true and that she was extremely happy about it. All three of them are awkward around each other right now; Puck and Rachel dated for a month, Quinn and Puck had a one-night stand, and Quinn and Rachel have never gotten along. They're not going to be instantly friends, but they're trying. They're not going to file for joint custody or anything like that because they don't want the public eye on them. They, as teenagers, are scared that if they go to a judge, Beth will be taken away, and none of them trust adoptive parents or any kind of adoption anymore. Shelby ruined that for them. Also, all three of them want Beth, and Rachel lives with Quinn, so custody is not much of an issue. Puck might have some problems, but they're minor.**

Kyrandiana - Omg Rachel possibly pregnant by puck. Hahaha good one and Sam didn't see that one coming  
**Me - Thanks! No, he probably didn't.**

Krista - Can you please make the baby be sam's not puck but i really love this chapter so far i really want puck to be with quinn and puck, quinn and rachael to all to be best friend to raise beth and can you have rachael be with sam  
**Me - You're the last review before I address the baby thing and the shippy thing! Thank you for you review, stay tuned for the grand finale of the weird chapter thing!**

* * *

Almost done! Okay, so now I'm going to introduce my plan/idea for the ship/baby war thingy. I like the idea of both; Sam and Rachel would be seriously interesting to see in a pregnancy situation, and Rachel and Puck could give Beth a sibling, complicating the relationship between the Berry/Fabray/Puckerman/Beth (Not sure where she fits) family dynamic. So here's what I'll do. I'm going to write two different stories. They will all have the chapters previous to this one, but after this I'll branch them off. Here's where I need your input. Good idea? Bad idea? Do you want it all here or should I make a differently titled one for the Sam pregnancy? Should I even do them? In the one where Sam is the father, the ships will be Sam/Rachel, and Puck/Quinn. In one where the father is Puck, the ships would either be Puck/Rachel and Sam/Quinn, or Sam/Rachel and Puck/Quinn. I need your opinions so that I know what you want. That's the famous grand finale! Thank you all for reviewing, liking, following, and/or reading!


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:Hey everybody. This is the last chapter that will stay on the same storyline for these guys. This is what would happen with either guy as the father, but this is where it breaks. I'll be continuing this story with Puck as the father in Something Better, and Sam will be in a story called Making the Best. I know that Rachel seems a little OOC in this chapter, but she's going through a lot right now, all within the span of two days. Please put up with me? Thank you for reading, favoriting, following, and reviewing! It makes my day.**

**A/N about reviews later:Hi again. I got a few questions in a review that are really good, but it was a guest so I can't message them. I'm putting it up on here instead. Rachel and Sam weren't secretly dating, they just didn't want their relationship to be the center of a lot of gossip. That was mostly Sam's doing, Rachel loves to be the center of attention, but she accepted it. They slept together then broke up because he was moving. He's come back now, after Rachel and Finn went to go get him, and Rachel feels awkward after finding out that he was a stripper instead of telling her his family was struggling. That drove a wedge between them, and they haven't really talked since, even though they both want to. I hope that answers your questions. For the people who asked about Puck, they won't remember that night at all. Sorry, and I know that it seems a little slutty, but this Rachel that I'm writing is sick of the boundaries that she set for herself, and that will lead to some things I can't tell you yet.**

"Seriously not trying to be rude, but Puck and Sam?" Quinn looked at her incredulously.

She blushed, curling her legs in on herself and resting against the cool glass of the bathtub.

"Yes. I'll know when I am told the due-date. I dated Sam over the summer, and we had a sort of out-with-a-bang night that ended in bed. It was the night before school started; two months ago. We used protection, but the condom broke."

"You weren't on the pill?"

"I was, but the medicine I was taking for allergies negated it and I didn't know until the doctor told me."

Quinn sighed and sat across from Rachel, her knees pulled in the same way.

"And Puck?"

"I'm really not sure. Do you remember that party last month, the one that Kurt hosted?"

"Of course I do. I made out with Santana that night." Quinn scrunched up her nose. "I'm very straight."

Rachel chuckled, and continued her story.

"Well, Noah got really drunk, so I offered to take him home. When we got to his house, we continued drinking, and I ended up waking up in his bed. Neither of us remember the night before, and we were only wearing our underwear, so we just assumed that we had sex."

Quinn looked like she was puzzling over something, but her face cleared quickly.

Three knocks rang out softly.

"Hey, are you guys okay?" Puck asked from the other side of the door. "I only ask because Beth just woke up, and Quinn's practice starts in like, 15 minutes."

"We're fine. Come in here." Quinn called out for him, and beamed when he walked in holding Beth.

"Hey Berry, you okay?" Puck looked terrified at the notion of having to deal with some sort of breakdown, and pressed his back against the counter.

She shook her head, tears welling up again.

"Can you do me a favor?" She asked, her voice shaking.

Rachel couldn't look at him, so she focused on Quinn and Beth. They were snuggling, Quinn holding her daughter close.

"Sure."

"Would you please buy me a pregnancy test?" She blurted out, looking him in the eye after she said it. The tears started to fall, and her voice became choked. Unintentionally, she started to ramble. "I don't want to go because then everybody would know, and if you go you could be buying them for anybody, you don't have to-"

"Are you pregnant?" There was a deer-caught-in-headlights look on his face as he stared at her stomach.

There wasn't anything to see, but Rachel wrapped her arms around herself.

"I don't know." Even in her state, she managed to muster up the sentiment to roll her eyes. "That's why I need the test."

Quinn, who had been staying out of it thusfar, spoke up. "Buy her a couple. So that she knows for sure."

Puck didn't look like he heard her.

"Is it mine?" He finally managed to get out.

Rachel hid her face, so her response came out muffled.

"I don't know." She wiped her damp cheeks, and turned to address her newly found ally. "Quinn, would you mind explaining it to him? I'll take Beth and get us both ready for the day."

Not waiting for an answer but receiving a yes, she took the pajama-clad little girl out of her new friends arms and left.

She put on the clothes that Quinn had given her; a pair of dark blue skinny jeans and a gray tank top, and slid a dress onto Beth. Instead of doing anything big, Rachel brushed her strait hair and pulled it into a messy high ponytail. A few strands escaped in the front, and Beth amused herself by tugging on them.

They sat on the floor of Quinn's room, Beth oddly quiet as she stared around the room, and Rachel silent as she observed Beth.

If she were pregnant, then she would have custody of another baby. It also meant that her dads would never take her back into their home.

"Hey, Rachel." Puck leaned against the doorframe, staring at her.

She turned, standing up and mirroring him so that she leaned against the other half of the frame.

"Hello Noah. I take it Quinn explained everything to you." She focused on the little girl whom she had balanced on her hip. "I sincerely hope that you're not mad at me."

"I'm not." He glanced at the baby, who was playing on the floor. "When will you know?"

"When the doctor tells me a due date." She shrugged. "I'm really sorry Noah."

"You have no reason to be. I should have learned after Beth; always use protection."

"We might have." Rachel cast her eyes skyward. "We might have even done anything. But that means that I got drunk while pregnant. Really drunk. Don't remember a thing in the morning drunk. I don't even know for sure yet."

"Oh yeah. I'm going to go buy the tests. Quinn already left for practice, so I'll just run us by the store on the way to school." He saw the panicked look on her face, and gripped the top of her arms gently. "Don't worry, I'll go in. You don't need to even look outside of the car."

She nodded, and left him with Beth, picking up her bag and coat on the way to his car.

Rachel sat inside for a minute before he came out, and they drove to the drugstore in silence.


	7. Chapter 7

She sat on the cold tile floor, in the third stall of the girls bathroom closest to the choir room. Numbly, Rachel stared at the stick that held her entire future. There were two blue lines on the pregnancy test, two lines that determined her future, the father's future, and a babies future. Because she was pregnant. The two lines meant positive, she had checked the box six times.

"Rachel?" Tina's voice rang through the bathroom.

"I'm here. What is it?" Her voice was shallow, quiet, and dead.

"Um… M-m-mr. Schuester wants everybody in practice as soon as possible. When you get there, l-l-let him know that I'm at my locker with Mercedes."

"Okay. Thank you Tina. I'm on my way."

The door closed as Tina left, and Rachel stretched out her legs and got up. The test she stowed away in her bag, along with two others that Puck had gotten for her, to make sure she didn't get a false positive. In the end, they all had the same result.

She wandered into the choir room, and sat on the floor with Quinn, who held Beth. The room was mostly empty; most of the Glee club had a reputation for being late.  
At the moment, it was just her, Puck, Quinn, Beth, and Mr. Schue. The teacher was staring at Quinn and Beth, but glanced over at Rachel with pure astonishment on his face.

Quinn leaned over to Rachel. "I told him what you did. He's amazed."

Rachel forced a smile, but couldn't hold it for long. Her face crumpled and she turned away from the other girl.

It's funny; she was able to produce tears in a second, but she didn't seem to be able to stop them.

"Rachel?" Puck moved from the other side of the room and started to slowly walk towards her. Quinn turned too, looking away from Beth for the first time and seeing Rachel's face.

"Oh my god." Quinn stood up quickly, and Mr. Schuester walked over. He didn't seem to know what to do, so he just held his arms out for Beth.

She carefully gave him the girl, then went over to Rachel, pulling her to her feet and holding her.

"Did you…" Quinn started, and didn't have to finish. Rachel nodded. "And you're…" She nodded again, and accidently let loose a sob. Puck stood a distance away, shocked for a moment, and then hurried over to them, gripping them both tightly. Mr. Schue left for his office with Beth, giving the trio a moment of privacy.

Unfortunately, their moment didn't last for long; Finn strode clumsily into the room, followed by Mercedes, Tina, and Kurt. The group stopped in the doorway, apparently shocked by the sight before them.

Rachel, Quinn, and Puck broke apart when the others entered, but they stayed bunched together, Rachel in the middle.

"I made an appointment for you tonight." Quinn whispered to Rachel. "My OBGYN isn't very busy and told me to bring any more teenagers to him, he'd put them high up on the list. We'll go after Glee practice."

Rachel nodded, grateful. "Thank you." The words came out shakily, and she sat down. Finn, Mercedes, Kurt, and Tina were all still standing in the door.

"What are you dildos staring at?" Puck barked at them, and they scrambled for their seats.

The rest of the club entered, all seemingly surprised that Quinn, Puck, and Rachel were seated in a group alone.

Rachel couldn't help it; when Sam walked in, she glanced at him, and then looked away quickly. In the corner of her eye, she snuck a look at Puck too. She was going to ruin one of their lives, and she felt extremely guilty.

"Okay kids, this week we're going to be going over-"

"Umm… Mr. Schue, why are you holding a baby?" Mercedes questioned, and stared at him.

Quinn stood quickly and took Beth, Puck leading Rachel out of the room for the explaination of the custody agreement.

Rachel smiled; she knew why he had taken her out. The club would be extremely judgemental about everything, and she knew that she couldn't handle that right now.

"Noah?" Rachel watched her shoes. Ordinarily, she would look right into the eyes of whomever she was speaking to, but she couldn't bring herself to it this time.

"Mmm."

"If it's yours, will you help me?" She asked in a rush.

He pulled her face up to look at him, and then kissed her cheek. "Babe, I'll help you even if it's not mine." Puck grinned cheekily. "You do the same for me."

A huge weight felt like it had been lifted off of her shoulders. Rachel tackled him, holding him to her with all of her strength in a fierce hug.

"Guys." Quinn peered around the door. "We're done."

Rachel walked back into the room, feeling all of the eyes fixed on her, and sat again.

* * *

Practice flew by, and soon she and Quinn were seated in the waiting room at the clinic. Puck had taken Beth home, so it was just the two of them. They didn't speak, and Rachel wasn't even sure that she could.

"Rachel Berry?" A nurse holding a clipboard called her name.

They got up, and Rachel followed Quinn into the doctor's room.

The doctor who had treated Quinn and Beth walked forward, and shook Rachel's hand, smiling warmly at the two of them.

"Hello Rachel, it's nice to meet you." The doctor smiled. "Quinn, always a pleasure. I'm Doctor Choi."

"Hi."

"If you could please sit here, I'll ask you some questions." Rachel complied, and answered each question to the best of her ability, her face burning when he asked about Puck.

"Alright, now I'm going to need for you to lay down, and pull your shirt up to just beneath your bust line."

Rachel glanced over at Quinn, who nodded encouragingly, worry evident in her eyes.

Dr. Choi squirted some cold, blue gel on her stomach and took a wand-like object out, running it along on her belly.

"Now, we won't be able to hear the heartbeat yet; it's too soon, but I can confirm you earlier findings. Congratulations, Miss Berry. You're pregnant."

It wasn't a shock; Rachel had already known.

"How far along am I?" She asked her voice surprisingly steady as she looked at the screen. There was nothing there that suggested that she was growing another person.

"I'd say just under a month."

"That means it's Puck's." Rachel panicked again.

Dr. Choi handed her a towel, and let her scrub off the blue gunk on her stomach. She did quickly, and left.

Quinn followed her, and they drove home.


End file.
